Rubus argutus (blackberry)
Rosaceae
Alien (native to central and eastern continental U.S.)
Lepidoptera collected from this plant in the Alaka`i Swamp:
Blackberry was probably intentionally introduced as an ornamental, and was first collected in Hawai`i in 1904. It has become a major pest in many habitats including the swamp, where it quickly invades open areas and turns them into dense thickets. Biological control has been attempted using the agents C. zimmermani, S. festaliella, as well as a sawfly (A. emigratella is a generalist immigrant). Manual control is being used as well with the help of Katie Cassel's volunteer weeders, based at the Koke`e Museum.
S. rara develops easily on this plant, perhaps because it is adapted to feed on the endemic Hawaiian species Rubus hawaiensis. R. hawaiensis is said to occur in the swamp, but was not in my plots. Thyrocopa generally eat the dead part of a leaf, hence they are basically detritivores and are found on alien as well as native plants. E. orichloris is a carnivore that is found on many different plants.
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Maintained by: Laurie Henneman
(M.L.Henneman@bris.ac.uk),
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol